Visit Shropshire Hills Summer Newsletter 2024

• The Shropshire Good Food Trail map launches tomorrow
• Latest news on the Long Mynd & Stiperstones Shuttle Bus Service
• The Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre is 10 years old
• Spotlight on VSH member Terry Moore.

The Shropshire Good Food Trail Launches on Saturday 20th July

The Shropshire Good Food Trail is back and bigger than ever for summer 2024 –  running 20th July to 31st August 2024.

Discover Shropshire’s abundance this summer and sample Good Food GROWN, MADE, SOLD and SERVED across the county.

With over 150 venues to cram into this year’s map, it is almost three times as packed as the food trail was in 2023. There are some fantastic events from family cooking workshops to bio-char BBQs, tastings and farm visits. The maps are your passport to flavour and fun this summer. Show your map at dozens of locations and events for discounts and freebies during the Food Trail Dates.

There will be events held across the county over the summer showcasing the delights of Shropshire food and farming AND providing opportunities to connect with nature and food production in Shropshire.

Find out more here: https://www.shropshiregoodfoodtrail.org/

The Long Mynd & Stiperstones Shuttle Bus – extended to the end of September

As a result of the excellent response from passengers and a very generous donation from Church Stretton Running Club, the Shropshire Hills National Landscape (formerly AONB) now have enough funds to extend the Shuttle Bus service until the end of September. That’s three extra weekends.

The last running day will now be 29^th September and the NL will update the bus stop timetables accordingly.
 

Here’s more about the service from the Shropshire Hills National Landscape:
“Re-launched this year with a new timetable and a more frequent service across the Long Mynd to Bridges, the Shuttle has had an excellent first eight weeks. The weather has brought out local and visiting walkers and many others keen to explore or re-visit the central Shropshire Hills. So far the bus has carried 390 passengers, an average of 25 passengers a day. This has tested capacity on some days, so we’ve upgraded the bus from a 16 to a 19-seater as long as demand continues. This very positive start has allowed us to extend the season until the end of September.
 
If you’ve used the bus, please champion the service to your customers, ask them to post their pictures on Facebook and wherever else they share news of their days out. We really would appreciate it and welcome your continued support. But remember it’s a cash only service. We know how unusual that is these days, and would love to offer contactless payments, but regretfully the costs of setting up and maintaining the system are currently outside our reach.
 
The improved route now runs from Church Stretton to Bridges, Wentnor, The Bog, Stiperstones and Snailbeach returning via All Stretton, on Saturdays and Sundays from 9.15am until 5.35pm. It’s a perfect day out for locals and visitors, whether they are keen to explore on foot, or just go for one of the most scenic bus rides in the UK. A £6 Day Rover ticket allows passengers to stay on the bus for a scenic tour or hop on and off during the day for a walk, tea and cake at the Bog Centre or lunch at one on our distinctive country pubs and hop back on after.
 
The popularity of the service and bus capacity means that if your customers are keen on walking, it’s better to catch the bus on their morning/outward journey and avoid trying to hop on at the end of the day when the bus might be full. For help planning a day out for your customers, contact shropshirehills-nl@Shropshire.gov.uk who will be able to advise you. Alternatively, you’ll find full information about the bus and a downloadable timetable at www.shropshirehillsshuttles.co.uk“
 
If you are a local tourism business owner and want to give the bus a go before recommending it to your customers, get in touch with the National Landscape. They will provide two free concessionary tickets for you to use before the end of July. Just email the NL at shropshirehills-nl@Shropshire.gov.uk with the heading VSH Member Offer – Shuttlebus.

10th August 2024 11:00am – 3:00pm ~ FREE ENTRY

Join the Discovery Centre as they celebrate 10 years of Grow Cook Learn with a BBQ Birthday and Nature Fun Day!

Bring the whole family to enjoy inflatables, music and entertainment and face painting as well as kid’s activities and a delicious BBQ and Bar. Join in the species walks and surverys around the meadows to include pond dipping and the launch of our new wetland area, Squelch!
The exhibition will be open for free for the weekend and a free talk on the history of the mammoth at 1.30pm.